Football: Serie A postpones vote over Sky's bid for minor TV rights package

FILE PHOTO: Italy's Lega Serie A headquarters in Milan
A logo of Italy's Lega Serie A is seen in Milan, Italy, Dec 17, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo)

MILAN: Serie A clubs agreed on Wednesday (May 5) to postpone until next week a vote on pay TV operator Sky's bid for screening three out of 10 games on a non-exclusive basis, Italian soccer's top league said in a statement.

The postponement comes after Sky, owned by US group Comcast, requested a judge to block the sale of Serie A's main domestic rights package to sport streaming service DAZN, saying the process was not compliant with Italian laws aimed at protecting competition.

A decision on the case is expected in a few days, a legal source familiar with the matter said after a closed door hearing on Wednesday.

In March, Serie A awarded DAZN the rights to screen all Serie A matches for 2.5 billion euros in the 2021-24 period in Italy, including exclusive rights for seven out of 10 games per matchday.

Sky's proposal was broadly in line with a previous offer which was rejected by Serie A, worth some 263 million euros, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Under the current three-year agreement, expiring in June, Serie A raised about 2.9 billion euros from Sky and DAZN, with Sky holding the lion's share of the rights.

Source: Reuters